Undercounter ice maker with increased capacity ice storage bin

ABSTRACT

An undercounter ice maker assembly comprising an ice maker chassis having a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel. The back panel comprises a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel includes one or more openings. The bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel, and the bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment having a reduced height. The undercounter ice maker assembly further includes an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, wherein the ice maker comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans. The one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle Θ with respect to the bottom panel and air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to ice making machines and, more particularly, to an undercounter ice maker that has a larger capacity ice storage bin yet retains the same footprint of typical prior art ice makers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Undercounter ice making machines, or undercounter ice makers, typically comprise a refrigeration and ice making system that employs a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly. Thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly is a freeze plate comprising a lattice-type cube mold. Additionally, typical ice makers employ gravity water flow and ice harvest systems that are well known and in extensive use. Undercounter ice makers having such a refrigeration and ice making system often include an ice storage bin, where ice that has been harvested is stored until it is needed. Such ice makers have received wide acceptance and are particularly desirable for commercial installations such as restaurants, bars, motels, coffee shops, etc.

In these undercounter ice makers, water is supplied at the top of a freeze plate which directs the water in a tortuous path toward a water pump. A portion of the supplied water collects on the freeze plate, freezes into ice and is identified as sufficiently frozen by suitable means whereupon the freeze plate is defrosted such that the ice is slightly melted and discharged therefrom into an ice storage bin. Typically, these ice machines can be classified according to the type of ice they make. One such type is a grid style ice maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which then form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes as the thickness of the ice increases beyond that of the freeze plate. After harvesting, the sheet of ice cubes will break into individual cubes as they fall into the ice storage bin. Another type of ice maker is an individual ice cube maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which do not form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes. Therefore, upon harvest individual ice cubes fall from the freeze plate and into the ice storage bin. Control means are provided to control the operation of the ice maker to ensure a constant supply of ice. Various embodiments of the present invention can be adapted to either type of ice maker, and to others not identified, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Traditionally, the principal components of a refrigeration and ice making system for use in an ice maker include a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly. The evaporator is thermally coupled to the freeze plate in order to freeze the supplied water into ice.

The exterior size, or footprint, of typical undercounter ice makers is fixed so that kitchen and/or cabinet designers can allocate a predictable amount of space for the undercounter ice maker in any given design. A typical undercounter ice maker is 24 inches (60.96 centimeters) wide and 39 inches (99.06 centimeters) tall. NSF Standard NSF/ANSI 12-2009 for “Automatic Ice Making Equipment,” paragraph 5.19. requires a gap of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) from the floor to the bottom of the appliance for access to under the appliance. This gap permits cleaning under the appliance and is required unless the appliance is permanently affixed to the floor. This standard applies to undercounter ice makers. It is rare that undercounter ice makers are permanently affixed to the floor, primarily due to the extra work of installation and the resulting permanence of the ice maker within the installation.

Accordingly, there is a constant need in the art to make undercounter ice makers more space efficient, so that higher capacities of ice can be stored within the standard footprint of an undercounter ice maker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to an undercounter ice maker assembly comprising an ice maker chassis having a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel. The back panel comprises a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel includes one or more openings. The top portion of the back panel extends upwardly from the bottom panel to a point above the front, left and right panels. The bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel and the bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment. The undercounter ice maker assembly further includes an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, wherein the ice maker comprises an evaporator disposed at the top portion of the back panel, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans. The one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle Θ with respect to the bottom panel and air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein the drawings illustrate features in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front view of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly;

FIG. 1B is a front view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a portion of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly as shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3 is a right perspective view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of an ice maker having various components according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a right perspective view of an ice maker chassis and portions of an ice maker of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a partial right cross section view of a typical prior art undercounter ice maker assembly as shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 6B is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6D is a partial right cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a portion of an ice maker chassis of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8C is a bottom view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8D is a rear partial cross section view of an undercounter ice maker assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it will be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

FIGS. 1A, 2 and 6A illustrate typical prior art undercounter ice makers assemblies 1010. Typical prior art undercounter ice maker assemblies 1010 include an ice storage bin assembly 1030 removably attached to an ice maker chassis 1100. The ice maker chassis 1100 has a refrigeration system compartment 1101 bounded in part by a bottom panel 1102, a left panel 1108 a, a right panel 1108 b and a front panel 1104. Various refrigeration components, including a condenser 1014, a condenser fan 1015 and a compressor 1012 are disposed on or in ice maker chassis 1100 within refrigeration system compartment 1101. Prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 intake and exhaust air through a front panel 1104 of the undercounter ice maker 1010, for example with the air intake through the right side of the front panel 1104 and with the air exhaust through the left side of the front panel 1104 as illustrated by arrow A in FIG. 2. This airflow configuration creates a number of constraints. First, only half the width W_(IM) of the undercounter ice maker 1010 can be used for air intake. Second, only half the width W_(IM) of the undercounter ice maker 1010 can be used for air exhaust. Third, the condenser 1014 must be placed within either the intake or exhaust air stream, so it is also limited to half the width W_(IM) of the undercounter ice maker 1010. Four, the condenser fan 1015 must be oriented so that the axis 1019 (see FIG. 6A) of the condenser fan 1015 is parallel to the air stream and parallel with the bottom panel 1102 of the undercounter ice maker 1010, thus the condenser fan 1015 blade diameter is oriented vertically. Because of this orientation, the height H_(RCPA) of the refrigeration compartment 1101 (see FIG. 1A) must be as tall as the diameter of the condenser fan 1015 blade. Five, because the warm exhaust air that is expelled out the front panel 1104 of the undercounter ice maker 1010 is adjacent to the air intake, a portion of that warm exhaust air will be drawn into the undercounter ice maker 1010 with the intake air and recirculated. This recirculation causes the temperature of the air entering the condenser 1014 to be warmer than the ambient air temperature and will thus reduce the performance of the refrigeration system compared to a system which draws in only the cooler ambient air.

Because of the orientations and geometries of the prior art undercounter ice makers 1010, these units typically use an 8 inch (about 20.32 centimeter) diameter condenser fan 1015. This condenser fan 1015 blade diameter in turn constrains the height H_(RCPA), of the refrigeration system compartment 1101 to be about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters). That height H_(RCPA), plus the NSF-mandated height underneath the machine of 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters), means that the bottom of the ice storage bin assembly 1030 cannot be any lower than about 14 inches (about 35.56 centimeters) above the floor. Because the total height of typical undercounter ice makers 1010 is limited to about 39 inches (about 99.06 centimeters) to fit under a counter, the maximum height H_(ISBPA) of prior art ice storage bin assemblies 1030 are limited to about 25 inches (about 63.5 centimeters). In order to store more ice, the height H_(ISBPA) of prior art ice storage bin assemblies 1030 must be increased. The only way to do that, since the height of the top and bottom of the undercounter ice maker 1010 are fixed, is to reduce the height H_(RCPA), of the refrigeration system compartment 1101.

Thus as illustrated in FIG. 1B, by altering the configuration of various components of embodiments of undercounter ice maker assembly 10, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 of ice maker chassis 100 can be reduced. As will be described more fully elsewhere herein, in various embodiments of undercounter ice maker assembly 10, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 may be reduced by orienting condenser fan 15 at an angle, preferably perpendicular, with respect to bottom panel 102 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 (see FIGS. 5, 6B, 6C and 6D). By changing the orientation of condenser fan 15, the vertical height required by condenser fan 15 is greatly reduced. For example, a typical 8 inch (about 20.32 centimeter) diameter condenser fan 15 is only 3 inches (about 7.62 centimeters) deep. Thus, in certain embodiments, by rotating the orientation of condenser fan 15 by 90° from the prior art orientation, the vertical height required by condenser fan 15 can be reduced from about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to about 3 inches (about 7.62 centimeters). Additionally, the airflow pattern for cooling condenser 14 can be changed from in-the-front-out-the-front to in-the-bottom-out-the-front. By altering the orientation of condenser fan 15, the resulting exhaust air stream can now be spread across the full width W_(IM) of undercounter ice maker assembly 10. Additionally, in certain embodiments the width W_(C) of condenser 14 may now also be substantially equal to the full width W_(IM) of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 (see FIG. 7) and may be disposed substantially parallel to front panel 104 (see FIGS. 5, 6B, 6C, 6D). Because condenser 14 may now be substantially wider than prior art condensers 1014, the height H_(C) of condenser 14 may now be reduced while maintaining its surface area (needed for heat transfer) (see FIG. 7). Accordingly, the height H_(ISB) of ice storage bin assembly 30 can be increased, therefore increasing the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30 without changing the exterior dimensions of undercounter ice storage assembly 10. In various embodiments, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 can be reduced by half, from a typical height of about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to a reduced height of about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters). In certain embodiments, for example, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 may be about 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters) or less. In other embodiments, for example, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 may be about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters) or less. Thus, in certain embodiments, for example, the height H_(ISB) of ice storage bin assembly 30 may be about 27 inches (about 68.58 centimeters). In other embodiments, for example, the height H_(ISB) of ice storage bin assembly 30 may be about 29 inches (about 73.66 centimeters).

Referring now to FIG. 3 certain principal components of various embodiments of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 are described in greater detail. Undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may include an ice maker chassis 100 and an ice storage bin assembly 30 removably attached to ice maker chassis 100. As is known in the art, certain embodiments of ice storage bin assembly 30 may slide forward in order to be removed from ice maker chassis 100. Undercounter ice maker assembly 10 further includes an ice maker 11 (see FIG. 4) having a refrigeration and ice making system which may be disposed on or in ice maker chassis 100. Ice storage bin assembly 30 includes an ice storage bin 31 having a cavity 36 (see FIGS. 6B, 6C, 6D) in which ice produced by ice maker 11 falls into and is stored until retrieved. The ice storage bin 31 further includes an opening which provides access to cavity 36 and the ice stored therein. The cavity 36 and the opening are formed by a left wall 33 a, a right wall 33 b, a front wall 34, a back wall 35 (see FIGS. 6B, 6C, 6D) and a bottom wall 41 (see FIGS. 6B, 6C, 6D). Ice storage bin assembly 30 may further include a top wall 32. The walls of ice storage bin 31 may be thermally insulated with various insulating materials including, but not limited to, fiberglass insulation or open- or closed-cell foam comprised, for example, of polystyrene or polyurethane, etc. in order to retard the melting of the ice stored in ice storage bin 31. Ice storage bin assembly 30 further includes a door 40 that that can be opened to access cavity 36. It will be understood that door 40 can be opened in any way known in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, legs 114 may be affixed to the bottom of ice making chassis 100 in order to provide the required gap of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) under the bottom of ice making chassis 100. In other embodiments, for example, legs 114 may be replaced with casters or wheels.

Referring now to FIG. 4, one embodiment of an ice maker 11 having refrigeration and ice making system is described in detail. Ice maker 11 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may include a compressor 12, a condenser 14 for condensing compressed refrigerant vapor discharged from the compressor 12, a thermal expansion device 18 for lowering the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, and an evaporator assembly 20. In certain embodiments that utilize a gaseous cooling medium (e.g., air) to provide condenser cooling, one or more condenser fans 15 may be positioned to blow the gaseous cooling medium across condenser 14. The thermal expansion device 18 may include, but is not limited to, a capillary tube, a thermostatic expansion valve or an electronic expansion valve. Ice maker 11 also includes a freeze plate 60 thermally coupled to evaporator assembly 20. In certain embodiments, freeze plate 60 may contain a large number of pockets (usually in the form of a grid of cells) on its surface where water flowing over the surface can collect. As water is pumped from sump 70 by water pump 62 through water line 63 and out of distributor manifold or tube 66, the water impinges on freeze plate 60, flows over the pockets of freeze plate 60 and freezes into ice. Sump 70 may be positioned below freeze plate 60 to catch the water coming off of freeze plate 60 such that the water may be recirculated by water pump 62. In certain embodiments, where thermal expansion device 18 is a thermostatic expansion valve or an electronic expansion valve, ice maker 11 may also include a temperature sensing bulb 26 placed at the outlet of the evaporator assembly 20 to control thermal expansion device 18. In addition, a hot gas valve 24 may be used to direct warm refrigerant from compressor 12 directly to evaporator assembly 20 to remove or harvest ice cubes from freeze plate 60 when the ice has reached the desired thickness. As described more fully elsewhere herein, a form of refrigerant serially cycles through these components via a lines 23, 25, 27, 28. Ice maker 11 may have other conventional components not described herein, including, but not limited to, a water supply, a controller, and a source of electrical energy.

Having described each of the individual components of one embodiment of ice maker 11 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10, the manner in which the components interact and operate various embodiments may now be described. During operation of ice maker 11 of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 in a cooling cycle, compressor 12 receives low-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant from evaporator assembly 20 through suction line 28, pressurizes the refrigerant, and discharges high-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant through discharge line 25 to condenser 14. In condenser 14, heat is removed from the refrigerant, causing the substantially gaseous refrigerant to condense into a substantially liquid refrigerant.

After exiting condenser 14, the high-pressure, substantially liquid refrigerant is routed through liquid line 27 to thermal expansion device 18, which reduces the pressure of the substantially liquid refrigerant for introduction into evaporator assembly 20. As the low-pressure expanded refrigerant is passed through tubing of evaporator assembly 20, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the tubes contained within evaporator assembly 20 and vaporizes as the refrigerant passes through the tubes. Low-pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant is discharged from the outlet of evaporator assembly 20 through suction line 28, and is reintroduced into the inlet of compressor 12.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, at the start of the cooling cycle, a water fill valve (not shown) is turned on to supply a mass of water to sump 70, wherein ice maker 11 will freeze some or all of the mass of water into ice. After the desired mass of water is supplied to sump 70, the water fill valve may be closed. Water pump 62 is then turned on to supply water to freeze plate 60 via water line 63 and distributor manifold or tube 66. Compressor 12 may be turned on to begin the flow of refrigerant through the refrigeration system. The water that is supplied by water pump 62 then begins to cool as it contacts freeze plate 60, returns to water sump 70 below freeze plate 60 and is recirculated by water pump 62 to freeze plate 60. Once the water is sufficiently cold, water flowing across freeze plate 60 starts forming ice cubes. After the ice cubes are formed, water pump 62 is turned off and hot gas valve 24 is opened allowing warm, high-pressure gas from compressor 12 to flow through hot gas bypass line 23 to enter evaporator assembly 20, thereby harvesting the ice by warming freeze plate 60 to melt the formed ice to a degree such that the ice may be released from freeze plate 60 and falls into ice storage bin 31 where the ice can be temporarily stored and later retrieved. Hot gas valve 24 is then closed and the cooling cycle can repeat.

Turning now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of ice maker chassis 100 is shown in detail. For ease of illustration, only portions of ice maker 11 are shown disposed inside ice maker chassis 100. It will be understood that all or substantially all of ice maker 11 is typically disposed on or in ice maker chassis 100. Various embodiments of ice maker chassis 100 have a bottom panel 102, a front panel 104, a left panel 108 a, a right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. Bottom panel 102, front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and bottom portion 111 of back panel 110 may define refrigeration system compartment 101. In various embodiments, bottom panel 102 has one or more openings 106 through which air can flow. Back panel 110 has a top portion 112 which extends upwardly from bottom panel 102 to a point above the front, left and right panels 104, 108 a, 108 b. Front panel 104 may be removable and may have one or more openings 105 which permit air to flow through front panel 104. Preferably, openings 105 of front panel 104 may comprise louvers. In other embodiments, openings 105 may include, but are not limited to, holes, slots, screens, etc. In other embodiments, one or more of front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110 may have one or more openings which permit air to flow through one or more of front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. Preferably, openings may comprise louvers. In other embodiments, openings 105 may include, but are not limited to, holes, slots, screens, etc.

An evaporator assembly 20 may be disposed at top portion 112 of back panel 110. Affixed to evaporator assembly 20 is freeze plate 60 and disposed under freeze plate 60 is sump 70. Water pump 62 may be disposed in sump 70 and can pump water through water line 63 and out of distributor manifold or tube 66 above freeze plate 60. Compressor 12 may be disposed in ice maker chassis 100 on bottom panel 102 proximate back panel 110. Additionally, disposed in ice maker chassis 100 in refrigeration system compartment 101 may be condenser 14 and condenser fan 15.

As shown in FIG. 6B, condenser fan 15 has an axis 19 about which the blades of condenser fan 15 rotate. Unlike prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 where the axis 1019 of prior art condenser fans 1015 are disposed substantially parallel to bottom panel 1102 (see FIG. 6A), in various embodiments of the present invention as shown in FIG. 6B, axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed at an angle Θ with respect to bottom panel 102. As described above, by orienting condenser fan 15 at an angle Θ with respect to bottom panel 102, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 can be reduced in comparison to the H_(RCPA) of the prior art refrigeration system compartment 1101 (see FIGS. 1B, 6B, 6C and 6D). By reducing the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101, the volume of cavity 36 of ice storage bin assembly 30 can be increased over the volume of cavity 1036 of prior art ice storage bin assemblies 1030. In various embodiments, for example, axis 19 may be disposed an angle Θ of between about 0° to about 90° with respect to bottom panel 102 (e.g., about 0°, about 10°, about 20°, about 30°, about 40°, about 50°, about 60°, about 70°, about 80°, about 90°). Preferably, axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102, such that axis 19 of condenser fan 15 is disposed at an angle Θ of about 90° with respect to bottom panel 102 (see FIGS. 6C and 6D). In other embodiments, axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed substantially parallel to bottom panel 102, such that axis 19 of condenser fan 15 may be disposed at an angle Θ of about 0° with respect to bottom panel 102. Accordingly, in various embodiments, for example, the axes of one or more small diameter condenser fans 15 may be disposed substantially parallel to bottom panel 102 and can draw or push air through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102. In any embodiment, one or more condenser fans 15 may draw or push air through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102. When axis 19 of condenser fan 15 is substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102, air may flow through one or more openings 106 in a direction substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102. In certain embodiments where axis 19 of condenser fan 15 is oriented perpendicular with respect to bottom panel 102, the size of condenser fan 15 does not need to be reduced to increase the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30. Additionally, condenser fan 15 may be increased in size without requiring the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 to be increased. Thus, in certain embodiments, the diameter of condenser fan 15 may range from about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters) to about 12 inches (about 30.48 centimeters) (e.g., about 8 inches (about 20.32 centimeters), about 9 inches (about 22.86 centimeters), about 10 inches (about 25.4 centimeters), about 11 inches (27.94 centimeters), about 12 inches (about 30.48 centimeters)). Thus by orienting condenser fan 15 flat in ice maker chassis 100 such that axis 19 is substantially perpendicular to bottom panel 102, the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 of ice maker chassis 100 can be reduced, thus allowing for ice storage bin assembly 30 to increase in height and volume. In various embodiments, condenser fan 15 may comprise a variety of fan types and/or constructions, including, but not limited to, electronically commutated motors (ECM), brushed motors, brushless motors, etc.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6B, 6C and 6D, condenser fan 15 can intake cool air that resides at the floor or ground through the one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 and into ice maker chassis 100. That cool air is then directed through condenser 14. By using the cooler air located adjacent to the floor, the ability of condenser 14 to reject heat may be improved over prior art undercounter ice makers 1010. The air is warmed as it passes through condenser 14, then the air is exhausted out one or more openings 105 of front panel 104. The warmed air then rises upward. Arrows B illustrate the flow of air into and out of undercounter ice maker assembly 10. While it is shown that the warm air may exhausted out one or more openings 105 of front panel 104, it will be understood that left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and/or back panel 110 may have one or more openings similar to the openings 105 of front panel 104. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, ambient air may be taken in through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 and warm air may be exhausted through openings in one or more of front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In one embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings 105 in front panel 104. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 and left panel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104, left panel 108 a, and right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104, left panel 108 a, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 and right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a and right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in left panel 108 a and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in right panel 108 b and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, warm air may be exhausted through openings in front panel 104 and back panel 110.

As stated above, typical prior art undercounter ice makers 1010 intake and exhaust air through the front panel which can result in the warmer exhausted air to be recirculated through the condenser 1014. This results in ineffective cooling of the condensers 1014 in typical prior art undercounter ice makers 1010. Bringing in cool air off of the floor and exhausting it through front panel 104, left panel 108, right panel 108 b, and/or back panel 110 minimizes the recirculation of air through condenser fan 15 because the warmer exhaust air will rise and will tend not to be sucked back into undercounter ice maker assembly 10 through the one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102. This resulting reduction in recirculation of air improves overall refrigeration performance of undercounter ice maker assembly 10.

While it is preferred that condenser fan 15 turn in a direction to intake cool air through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102, in certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 6D, condenser fan 15 may turn in a direction which intakes cool air through one or more openings 105 of front panel 104, through condenser 14, and exhausts warm air through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102. Arrows C illustrate the flow of air into and out of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 in this alternative embodiment. While it is shown that the ambient air intake may be through one or more openings 105 of front panel 104, it will be understood that left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and/or back panel 110 may have one or more openings similar to the openings 105 of front panel. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, ambient air may be taken in through openings in one or more of front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b and back panel 110, and exhausted through one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102. In one embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings 105 in front panel 104. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 and left panel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104, left panel 108 a, and right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104, left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104, left panel 108 a, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 and right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a and right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a, right panel 108 b, and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in left panel 108 a and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in right panel 108 b. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in right panel 108 b and back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in back panel 110. In another embodiment, for example, ambient air may be taken in through openings in front panel 104 and back panel 110.

The increase in the volume available for ice storage in ice storage bin 30 may also be permitted by reducing the height H_(C) (see FIG. 7) of condenser 14 as compared to the height of condensers 1014 of prior art undercounter ice makers 1010. In certain embodiments, the height H_(C) of condenser 14 may be about 6 inches (about 15.24 centimeters) or less. In yet other embodiments, the height H_(C) of condenser 14 may be about 4 inches (about 10.16 centimeters) or less. By reducing the height H_(C) of condenser 14, additional volume is provided for ice storage bin assembly 30. As illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6B, 6C, 6D and 7, in various embodiments, condenser 14 may also be disposed substantially parallel to front panel 104. In prior art undercounter ice makers 1010, condenser 1014 is often placed at an angle greater than zero with respect to front panel 1104 (see FIG. 2). By orienting condenser 14 substantially parallel to front panel 104, the width W_(C) (see FIG. 7) of condenser 14 can be substantially equal to the width W_(IM) (see FIG. 7) of undercounter ice maker assembly 10. Thus in various embodiments the width W_(c) of condenser 14 is greater than the width of condensers 1014 in many prior art undercounter ice makers 1010. By making condenser 14 wider, the overall face area of condenser 14 is comparable to prior art condensers 1014, thus the cooling capacity of condenser 14 may be maintained even though the height H_(C) of condenser 14 has been reduced. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the number of cooling fins (not shown) on condenser 14 may be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity of condenser 14. In other embodiments, for example, the depth Dc (see FIGS. 6B, 6C, 6D) of condenser 14 may also be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity of condenser 14. In other embodiments, for example, the number of coil passes in condenser 14 may also be increased in order to maintain or increase the cooling capacity of condenser 14. While condenser 14 is shown as being substantially straight, it will be understood that condenser 14 can take a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, curved, circular, L-shaped, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, it will be understood that condenser 14 can be placed in a variety of locations on or in ice maker chassis 100 without departing from the scope of the present invention.

While the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30 can be increased by reducing the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101, typically available compressors 12 do not vary significantly in size. Thus, as illustrated in FIGS. 6B, 6C and 6D, in order to obtain the benefit of the reduced height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101 a recessed area 42, as known in the art, may be disposed proximate to back wall 35 of ice storage bin 31. Accordingly, recessed area 42 is adapted to fit around compressor 12 and permits ice storage bin assembly 30 to be easily removed from ice maker chassis 100. This recessed area 42 slightly reduces the volume of ice storage bin assembly 30, however this slight reduction in volume is offset by the increase in volume of ice storage bin 30 afforded by reducing the height H_(RC) of refrigeration system compartment 101. Accordingly, the volume of ice storage bin assembly 31 can be increased over prior art undercounter ice makers.

In order to reduce the potential for a person's hand to be damaged by condenser fan 15, condenser fan 15 may be disposed within ice maker chassis 100 so that the fan blades of condenser fan 15 are not substantially co-planar with opening 106. Accordingly, condenser fan 15 may be raised slightly above opening 106. Additionally, in certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8A, a wire grill 17 may cover opening 106 to reduce or eliminate the possibility that a person can insert their fingers into opening 106. It will be understood that any type and/or construction of grill, louver, mesh, etc. which reduces or eliminates the possibility that a person can insert their fingers into opening 106 while maintaining air flow through opening 106 may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Additionally, in certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 6B, 6C, 8C and 8D, undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may also include an air filter 120 for filtering the air that can enter or exit through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102. Accordingly, an air filter 120 may be placed in or over one or more openings 106 in bottom panel 102 such that air filter 120 covers one or more openings 106. Air filter 120 can filter the air that will be drawn into refrigeration system compartment 101 of ice maker chassis 100. The inclusion of an air filter may reduce the amount of dirt, dust and/or other contaminants entering refrigeration system compartment 101, which may assist in keeping condenser 14 clean and maintaining condenser 14 cooling capacity. In embodiments where ambient air is taken in through one or more openings 106 of bottom panel 102, dirt, dust and/or other contaminants could get deposited on an inner side of condenser 14. The inner side of condenser 14 may be difficult to access with ice storage bin assembly 30 in place. Accordingly, by including air filter 120, the inner side of condenser 14 may be kept cleaner than in applications that do not employ an air filter. Instead of having to remove ice storage bin assembly 30 and/or front panel 104 to clean condenser 14, a user could instead remove air filter 120 from bottom panel 102 to clean air filter 120. Air filter 120 may be removably affixed to bottom panel 102 in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, magnets, tape, adhesives, hook-and-loop style fasteners, screws, clips, etc. In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 8C and 8D, a channel 122 may be disposed on bottom panel 102. Channel 122 may be on two or more sides of opening 106 to hold air filter 120 in place. Preferably, channel 122 may be on three sides. Air filter 120 can be slid in and out of channel 122 from the front of undercounter ice maker assembly 10. It will be understood that any type and/or construction of air filter may be used without departing from the scope of the invention including, but not limited to, paper filters, foam filters, fiberglass or polyester filters, HEPA filters, etc.

While one condenser fan 15 and one opening 106 is shown in FIGS. 5, 6B, 6C, 6D and 8A, embodiments of undercounter ice maker assembly 10 may include more than one condenser fan 15 and/or more than one opening 106 in bottom 102 panel, as illustrated in FIG. 8B.

Thus, there has been shown and described novel methods and apparatuses of an undercounter ice maker assembly with an increased capacity ice storage bin, which overcome many of the problems of the prior art set forth above. It will be apparent, however, to those familiar in the art, that many changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications for the subject devices and methods are possible. All such changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow. 

1. An undercounter ice maker assembly comprising: (i) an ice maker chassis comprising a bottom panel, a front panel, a left panel, a right panel, and a back panel, the back panel comprising a bottom portion and a top portion and the bottom panel comprising one or more openings, a) wherein the top portion extends upwardly from the bottom panel to a point above the front, left and right panels, and c) wherein the bottom panel, front panel, left panel, right panel, and bottom portion of the back panel define a refrigeration system compartment; and (ii) an ice maker disposed in the ice maker chassis, the ice maker comprising an evaporator disposed at the top portion of the back panel, a compressor, a condenser, and one or more condenser fans, wherein the one or more condenser fans each have an axis of rotation which are disposed at an angle Θ with respect to the bottom panel and wherein air can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
 2. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the angle Θ of the axes of the one or more condenser fans with respect to the bottom is about 90°.
 3. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the angle Θ of the axes of the one or more condenser fans with respect to the bottom is greater than about 45°
 4. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to: (i) intake ambient air from below the bottom panel through the one or more openings of the bottom panel, (ii) push the ambient air through the condenser where the ambient air is warmed, and (iii) exhaust the warmed air.
 5. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 4, wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to exhaust the warmed air out one or more openings in the front panel.
 6. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 4, wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to exhaust the warmed air out one or more openings in one or more of the front panel, the left panel, the right panel and the back panel.
 7. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to: (i) intake ambient air, (ii) draw the ambient air through the condenser where the air is warmed, and (iii) exhaust the warmed air out the one or more openings of the bottom panel.
 8. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 7, wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to intake ambient air through one or more openings in the front panel.
 9. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 7, wherein the one or more condenser fans are adapted to intake ambient air through one or more openings in one or more of the front panel, the left panel, the right panel and the back panel.
 10. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, further comprising an ice storage bin removably attached to the ice maker chassis.
 11. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the condenser is substantially parallel to the front panel.
 12. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 11, wherein the width of the condenser is substantially equal to the width of the front panel.
 13. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the height of the refrigeration system compartment is about 6 inches.
 14. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the height of the refrigeration system compartment is about 4 inches.
 15. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the height of the condenser is about 6 inches.
 16. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the height of the condenser is about 4 inches.
 17. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the condenser fan is about 8 inches.
 18. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the condenser fan is about 10 inches.
 19. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the condenser fan is about 12 inches.
 20. The undercounter ice maker assembly of claim 1 further comprising an air filter for filtering the air that can enter or exit the undercounter ice maker assembly through the one or more openings of the bottom panel. 